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Re: Images That Did Not Merit

The hard part about critiquing here is that it's hard to refer to an image without having to "reply" to repost the image which adds bloat to the thread. Also, when someone refers to the image as "the one above", it's actually "the one below" for me because I have the newest posts to show first. This is why I'm such a supporter of doing the critiques in the gallery section, and posting a link to that image here in the forum side. Pretty much how it's done for certification critiques.

Michael Gan,M.Photog.Cr. CPP,Meritage House of Photography

If your business depends on you, you don't own a business-you have a job. And it's the worst job in the world because you're working for a lunatic... You can't close it when you want to, because if it's closed you don't get paid. You can't leave it when you want to, because if you leave there's nobody there to do the work. You can't sell it when you want to, because who wants to buy a job?—Michael Gerber

Re: Images That Did Not Merit

I put my boxer boy image into a mock print competition our local affiliate held. The "judges" were all masters and well experienced in print comp. One is working right now to become a judge at IPC. The feedback I got was that his shirt was way too bright, I toned it down a TON before sending it to IPC, and the one who is working toward being a judge said she was unsure of the lights behind him, that she felt they didn't add anything. But everyone else stuck up for them because they gave the feel of being in a real ring, which was what I was going for when I set it up. My print itself printed so dark you could barely make out the highlights the blue and red lights gave to his hair and I worried and stressed that would be what held it back and it kind of makes me ill but I didn't have a choice as there was a deadline and I had to put my prints in. Even after a rush reprint, it wasn't anywhere as good as my digital and I wished I had submitted that digitally. I may reshoot it completely, put him in a different top and make sure my lights are really pulling their weight in the back.

For my clown, I have no idea. I want to hear feedback on both images and am anxiously awaiting my reviews.

Re: Images That Did Not Merit

Originally Posted by Roger_Williams

Since I'm 0/8 between my portraits/album and my EI entries, I'm not qualified to comment but I really do like both of them. When you get the critiques, would you mind sharing the critques so we can learn from them while comparing the actual image?

I submitted everything digitally this year and I wonder if that is what hurt me. I worked the image on a calibrated monitor but the settings listed for IPC judging are not options with my Spyder/monitor so I just went with how Spyder calibrated the monitor. Maybe the dark areas don't show the detail on the IPC monitors or maybe the images just aren't any good.

Roger, I've never entered EI so I don't know how they look at those at all.

For "Tink Come Back" Isn't she tink? I would almost wonder if the title didn't convey the story you wanted. I'm totally guessing at this. Since Tink is looking down the well, not Peter Pan, maybe that threw them off?

Re: Images That Did Not Merit

I talked with another person that said maybe she needs to shoot specifically for competition instead of pulling from client work. Maybe we do. I have never done that, but may just do it for next time.

Mark, I do shoot a lot just for competition. I'll plan and set them up, but I know many photographers who will do the client session, make the client happy with what they want, then say "okay, now can I just try something?" and work in those competition elements that maybe the client didn't want, but the judges look for. I think you just have to do it both ways.

Your first image, It's a great image, but I don't know about the story. Not sure it pulls me in.

The cake one is cute, well lit, cute title, I don't know on that one.

The last one might be some photoshopping issues. From what I can see, the burning between the legs, it looks like there is a slight halo next the the girls legs, could be my screen, but it may be technical on that one.

I'm no judge and I am learning like the rest of you. I am trying to point out what I see and what I would look for in my own images, and hopefully being of some help, but who knows.